Maria de las Nieves (Nieves) was influenced from a young age by the work and activism of her single mother who worked to provide health care and educational services in Central Washington’s Yakima Valley, including through work with migrant farmworkers and community organizations. It was this background that created Nieves’ interest in employment law and drew her to her first legal job with mentor and workers’ rights activist Robin Potter, who later became her law partner.
Nieves is a founding partner with the firm Fish Potter Bolaños, P.C. where she represents workers in wage and hour, False Claims Act, and employment discrimination and retaliation cases. Her experience includes representing large class action cases with exceptional results.
Nieves is a 2009 graduate of DePaul University College of Law. She serves on the NELA Board as Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. She also chairs NELA’s Low Wage Worker Practice Group. Bolaños is a member of NELA’s Illinois Affiliate, the Illinois State Bar Association, and the National Lawyers Guild’s Chicago Labor and Employment Committee. Nieves serves on the ARISE Chicago Legal Advisory Board and serves on the Board for In These Times Magazine.
